November 6, 2015

Motion Sickness While Travelling -Tips & Home Remedies

Paridhi asks:

I often suffer from nausea while travelling, especially in a
car. Please help and preferably suggest tips and home remedies for the same.

Response: What you are experiencing while travelling is
called “motion sickness”. This occurs because the brain receives conflicting information
about motion from the sensory organs.For instance, when you
are in a moving car, the inner ear senses motion but the eyes convey to the
brain that everything is still. These
contradictory signals received by the brain may cause motion sickness or
kinetosis.Read more about in Wikipedia.

Just because you experience motion sickness and someone else
doesn’t, does not mean that something’s wrong with you. Each person’s body constitution
is different and he/she may respond accordingly. Some people are more
susceptible to motion sickness than others. Children in the age group of 4-10,
women during menstruation, pregnant women and people prone to headaches or
migraines are more predisposed.

The
intensity of the symptoms also varies from person to person and also depends on
the stimulus that’s causing it in the first place as well as the amount of time
that a person is exposed to it. Once the stimulus is removed, say the movement
is stopped, the symptoms may stop within a few minutes or within a few hours.

Most common symptoms experienced during motion sickness are
nausea and vomiting. There may also be a general feeling of uneasiness, fatigue
and breaking into a cold sweat and a person may turn pale and look unwell. Some
may experience headache and dizziness also.

As for me, I have experienced motion sickness a number of
times.When I was a kid, travelling for
long distances in buses also made me sick but now I experience no such thing as
my body seems to have got used to it. But travelling in cars sometimes makes me
uneasy. I don’t vomit but do experience uneasiness and nausea especially if I
have had a heavy meal prior to travelling or if the person at the wheel isn’t
driving the car smoothly or if the roads are really bad which is quite common
in a country like India.

I’ve also noticed
that drinking buttermilk or having curds before travelling also makes me
uneasy. I never experienced motion
sickness on a plane but once when I was served greasy stuff like paneer, I did
experience uneasiness and nausea during the journey.

So it’s most important to identify the stimulus that’s
triggering the sickness in you and take precautionary measures.

Smelling lemon or lemon peels help relieve nauseous feelings.

It may not be possible to prevent motion sickness altogether, especially if you are prone to it but
with these tips you can prevent and lessen the severity of the symptoms.

Avoid heavy meals, spicy, rich foods and
difficult to digest foods before the commencement of your journey. However your
stomach must neither be too full not too empty.

Also
avoid the consumption of foods that don’t ‘suit’ you. In my case, dairy products like buttermilk, yogurt and
paneer / cheese are a strict no-no. Also there should be a gap of at least 2
hours after a meal before your travelling. Avoid foods with strong odours too.

Try to sit in the front seat of the car if possible.

Also avoid reading in the car.

Open the windows of the car and let fresh air in
to make you comfortable.

Try to remain in a relaxed frame of mind and
keep telling yourself that you are feeling just fine. Take deep breaths and
stay calm. If we hear others talking how sick they are feeling, you too may
experience such symptoms. So isolate yourself from such persons or avoid such
talks.

Smelling a lemon, lemon peel or an orange peel
also drives away the nauseous feeling.

Before travelling, shred some ginger into slices
and carry them along with you and when you feel uneasy pop a piece into your
mouth at regular intervals and it may make you feel better.

You can also prepare lemon juice and carry it in
a bottle along with you. Squeeze a lemon in sufficient water and add honey &
a pinch of salt to it and pour it in the bottle. Sip a little of it when you
are feeling nauseous. This may relieve your unease.

Sucking
juice of betel leaves / paan can also help with nausea and vomiting sensation.
Carry betel leaves with you while travelling and chew the leaves at times.

Sometimes it helps if you close your eyes and
take a short nap. It will help to avoid sensory conflict. When you wake up from
your nap, you’ll feel better.

Take breaks and stop the car and get out at regular
intervals if it’s a long distance journey. You’ll feel better.

Usually the uneasiness from your motion sickness
gets resolved within a few minutes after you get down from the car but
sometimes may last for a few hours. If your discomfort persists even after the
journey, consume infusion of dried tulsi / holy basil leaves with honey twice
or thrice a day.

If none of the home-remedies work for you, you’ll have to consult a doctor who may
prescribe a pill to be taken an hour before the journey.

2 comments:

Close your eyes and try to sleep.Do not read or watch a film.It is advisable not to stare at moving objects such as waves or other cars. Instead, look ahead, a little above the horizon, at a fixed place.Avoid heavy meals or alcohol before and during travelling. It may also be worth avoiding spicy or fatty food.

Comments posted on this blog are moderated and approved only if they are relevant, on-topic and not abusive. Avoid using links to your site/blog in the body of your comment unless it is highly relevant to the post.